A FISCALLY SPONSORED PROJECT OF THE ART OF ELYSIUM
Directed by Christopher Folkens · Written by Joseph Pellegrino · Produced by Noelle Hubbell, Christopher Folkens, Joseph Pellegrino
Executive Producers Andrew Carlberg, Jack Cusick, Christopher Folkens, Daniel Hall, Eric Hochmer, Whit Spurgeon
Cinematography Milana Burdette · Production Design Emily Peters · Music Jasha Klebe
HUNTED is a narrative short film directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Christopher Folkens and written by Joseph Pellegrino, based on the events of the 2017 Chechen gay purge. A Mystic Films production in association with Cinesthesia Factory and EBStudios, the film stars Luke Lowrey, Andrew Byron, and Luca Jarosz.
ABOUT THE FILM
Rizvan, a closeted gay man, is lured to a secret sexual encounter by his young friend Ismail, but something is off. As Rizvan seduces Ismail, Ismail grows increasingly uneasy and begs for them to leave. Without warning, armed soldiers violently arrest them. Rizvan awakens in an interrogation room, where he comes face to face with Movsar Dudayev, a brutal Chechen military leader determined to eradicate homosexuals from their country. Rizvan learns that Ismail was forced to betray him, and when his captors offer Rizvan his freedom in exchange for outing other gays in the area, Rizvan must make an impossible choice: betray his community or die protecting their anonymity. Based on actual events.
HUNTED is inspired by documented events surrounding the 2017 anti-gay purge in Chechnya, a republic within the Russian Federation. Human-rights organizations and United Nations experts documented abductions, unofficial detention, humiliation, beatings, torture, forced disclosure, and pressure on detained men to identify others believed to be gay or bisexual. The film is not a documentary account of one identified survivor; it uses an intimate dramatic situation to explore the psychological and ethical dimensions of persecution, survival, and forced betrayal. Writing and rewriting were guided by survivors and advocates, including David Isteev, who led rescue efforts in Chechnya.
What does it mean to preserve human dignity when the world demands that a person disappear?
“If this film helps audiences feel for those persecuted, across borders, religions, or politics, then we’ve done our job.”
CHRISTOPHER FOLKENS, DIRECTOR
HUNTED: A FILM ABOUT DIGNITY, SURVIVAL,
AND THE RESPONSIBILITY TO WITNESS
